What Is A CIME?

What a CIME Actually Is

A CIME is a Certified Independent Medical Examiner: a physician who has earned a credential demonstrating competence in conducting impartial medical evaluations. These evaluations typically answer questions that arise in injury claims, disability determinations, and medicolegal disputes. The examiner is not the claimant's treating doctor and is not an advocate for either side. The role exists to produce an objective, defensible medical opinion.

If you have seen the acronym elsewhere and wondered whether it refers to something else, it is worth being precise. On this site, CIME means only the Certified Independent Medical Examiner credential. For quick-reference explanations of the term itself, see our pages on what CIME stands for and CIME meaning.

What a CIME Does in Practice

The day-to-day work of an independent medical examiner centers on a structured evaluation and a written report. The physician reviews records, takes a history, performs an examination, and then answers specific questions posed by the party requesting the evaluation. Those questions commonly include whether an injury is related to a particular event, whether the claimant has reached maximum medical improvement, what functional limitations exist, and how much permanent impairment remains.

Impairment Rating and the AMA Guides

A major portion of the work involves assigning impairment ratings using the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. ABIME offers AMA5 and AMA6 offerings, and the preparation route referenced throughout this article follows the AMA Guides sixth-edition (AMA6) impairment-evaluation training. Rating work demands precision: choosing the correct table, applying grade modifiers, and documenting the reasoning so another physician could follow it.

The Written Report

The report is the product. A strong independent examination report states the records reviewed, the history obtained, the findings, the methodology applied, and the conclusions, each tied to the evidence. Because reports are scrutinized, the discipline of showing your work matters as much as the medicine itself.

Who Issues the Credential

The Certified Independent Medical Examiner credential is issued by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (ABIME). The examination is delivered online. The specific third-party proctoring or testing vendor has not been identified in the materials reviewed, so confirm proctoring arrangements directly with ABIME when you register.

For a broader orientation to the credential, our overview pages on what CIME certification is and CIME certification cover the same ground from different angles.

Who Hires and Retains CIMEs

Independent medical examiners are engaged by parties who need an unbiased medical opinion. In general terms, the groups that retain them include:

• Insurance carriers and third-party administrators evaluating claims and disability benefits
• Attorneys on either side of personal injury, workers' compensation, and disability matters
• Employers and self-insured entities managing occupational injury cases
• Courts, tribunals, and agencies that need a neutral medical assessment
• Independent examination companies that contract physicians to perform evaluations on their behalf

Many examiners combine this work with a clinical practice, while others build a predominantly medicolegal career. If you are weighing the career side, see our look at CIME jobs and the CIME salary guide. We deliberately avoid quoting earnings figures here because no verified number applies across settings; compensation varies with region, volume, and how you structure your practice.

Eligibility and Training

Eligibility rests on qualifying medical licensure, practice and specialty credentials, and professional conduct. This is a physician credential, so a valid license and an appropriate specialty background form the foundation.

Because required training is a separate expense from the examination fee, your total outlay is larger than the exam price alone. Our CIME requirements guide walks through qualification steps, and the CIME training page covers the course side in more depth.

How the Examination Works

Here is what can be stated with confidence, and what cannot, as of the reviewed sources.

The honest summary is that several details candidates want most are not publicly confirmed. The 120-question figure comes from an archival booklet and should not be treated as the 2026 format. Likewise, the weighted domain breakdown has not been verified for the current exam, so avoid any resource that claims precise percentage weights. For more on this uncertainty, read our pages on the CIME passing score and CIME pass rate, and see CIME exam dates for scheduling considerations.

Rules around calculators, reference books, and proctoring are also not confirmed in the current materials. Ask ABIME directly what you may have at hand during the sitting, because assuming an open-book or closed-book format can cost you.

What the Fee Does and Does Not Cover

The US$995 figure is the dated 2026 physician exam fee. It is not a bundle that includes the training hours you must complete. Add the course cost, plus any renewal or registry charges later (current renewal and registry charges are unverified), when you budget. Our CIME certification cost breakdown and the ROI analysis help you weigh the total.

The Seven Preparation Areas

ABIME's August 2026 AMA6 course organizes preparation into seven areas. It is important to read these correctly: they are unweighted issuer-course preparation topics, not an official weighted or exhaustive examination blueprint. Treat them as the structure of your training, then supplement with broader medicolegal study. Our CIME exam domains guide expands on each one.

Sequencing Your Preparation

Because the content builds on itself, order matters more than raw hours. Start with Domain 1, since every later rating depends on understanding the Guides' methodology. Move through the body-region domains next, then finish with the case studies that force you to combine everything. For a fuller plan, see our CIME study guide and the one-page CIME cheat sheet.

As you progress, test yourself rather than only rereading. A free run through our CIME practice tests shows which domains need more attention, and you can return to the main practice site as the sitting approaches. Candidates curious about difficulty can compare notes in how hard the CIME exam is.

Keeping the Credential Current

Certification follows a five-year cycle built on a 100-point maintenance requirement. Sixty points come from continuing medical education or professional development earned in the most recent three years. The remaining forty points come through a recertification examination or the ACIME MAPP route. Current renewal and registry charges have not been verified, so plan to confirm costs when your cycle begins.

CIME Compared With Other Roles

It helps to see where the CIME sits relative to neighboring roles a physician might hold.

The CIME credential signals that the physician has been trained and tested in the methods of fair, evidence-based examination, which is exactly what the parties relying on the opinion need to see.

Frequently Asked Questions